Configuration changes made to add new features

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When you run the Configure Features wizard, it assesses your existing team project, determines which features are missing, and adds them. Before you can use this wizard, you must upgrade your Team Foundation Server to a later version that contains new features.

Features added with the update to TFS 2013.4

The TFS 2013.4 update doesn’t include any updates made with the Configure Features wizard. However, teams can now choose to show bugs on backlogs and boards. If the feature is disabled, the process configuration definition must be updated as described in Add bugs or other work item types to backlogs or boards.

To learn about additional features and enhancements made to Agile planning tools and work item tracking, see What's new in planning and tracking.

Features added with the update to TFS 2013.3

To enable the Test Plan and Test Suite feature, the TFS Upgrade Wizard (not the Configure Feature Wizard) performs the following actions:

  • Adds the Test Plan and Test Suite work item types (WITs)

  • Adds the Test Plan Category and Test Suite Category

  • Adds the Test Plan and Test Suite WITs to the Hidden Types Category

  • Updates the area path security model to include Manage test suites and re-scopes the Manage test plans permissions. For details, see Q: What test functions are controlled by area path permissions?.

  • Creates work items for existing test plan and test suites

  • Migrates existing test management data and creates links to test artifacts—such as test points, test runs, test results—to point to the work item based test plans and test suites

    Note that there are no parent-child links created between test plans and test suites or between test suites and test cases. Therefore, you can’t create a query to see a hierarchy of these objects. However, the Test Manager and Team Web Access clients present these objects in relationship to one another.

You can start working with your test plans and test suites in Test Manager.

If one or more of the steps fail, the Test Management subsystem will log a warning or an error. To view these messages, open the Team Foundation Server Administration Console and view the Logs page. To resolve these messages, see Manual updates to support test management.

Important

If, after an upgrade, the Test Plan and Test Suite feature is not configured, you must manually update your team project. The Configure Features wizard doesn’t support the end-to-end activities required to migrate existing test plans and test suites.

Features added with the update from TFS 2013 to TFS 2013.2

To enable the Shared Parameter feature, the Configure Features wizard performs the following actions:

  • Adds the Shared Parameter WIT

  • Adds the Shared Parameter Category

  • Adds the Shared Parameter WIT to the Hidden Types Category

The Shared Parameter WIT supports repeating tests with different data.

Features added with the update from TFS 2012 to TFS 2013

To enable the Portfolio Backlog feature, the Configure Features wizard performs the following actions:

  • Adds the Feature WIT

  • Adds the Feature Category

  • Adds ProcessConfiguration, which supports portfolio backlog definition and assignment of colors to WITs

    ProcessConfiguration replaces the AgileConfiguration and CommonConfiguration files introduced in TFS 2012.0

This configuration adds one level of Agile portfolio management support.

Q & A

Q: What permissions do I need to run the Configure Features wizard?

A: To see the Configure Features link to access the wizard, you must be a member of one of the following groups: Team Foundation Administrators, Project Collection Administrators, or Project Administrators for the team project. Or, you must have the Edit project-level permissions set to Allow.

To get added as a Project Collection Administrator, go here.

Q: How do I customize the test management artifacts?

A: After you’ve upgraded to TFS 2013.3, you can customize the test plan and test suite in the same way you’ve customized other WITs.

Q: Why are some WITs added to the Hidden Types Category?

A: WITs that you want users to create using a tool such as Microsoft Test Manager, Code Review, and Request Feedback are added to the Hidden Types Category. WITs belonging to the Hidden Types Category don’t appear in menus used to create new work items.

In the TFS 2013.3 Preview version, the following WITs belong to the Hidden Types Category:

  • Code Review Request and Code Review Response

  • Feedback Request and Feedback Response

  • Shared Steps and Shared Parameter

  • Test Plan and Test Suite